


Flurry

by InNovaFertAnimus



Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Genre: Mild Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Pre-OT3, Snow and Ice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-19 23:35:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13134528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InNovaFertAnimus/pseuds/InNovaFertAnimus
Summary: The snow fall is already getting heavier. The clearing in front of them is nothing but a white flurry in front of a darkening sky.Their extraction team was supposed to meet them here about an hour ago.A snow storm catches our trio unprepared.





	Flurry

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dearxalchemist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearxalchemist/gifts).



> Happy Holidays dearxalchemist! 
> 
> The fic is not betaed (yet), but I hope you still enjoy your gift :)

“They won’t come, will they?”

Gaby rubs her hands, trying to get a little feeling back into her fingers. As thick as her gloves were, there’s only so much time they can keep out Canadian frost.

Her voice sounds muffled, the snow fall already getting heavier. The clearing in front of them is nothing but a white flurry in front of a darkening sky. Their extraction team was supposed to meet them here about an hour ago.

She doesn’t get an answer, but the silence speaks for itself.

They all know there’s a storm coming. Most likely their extraction didn’t even make it that far out to meet them.

Gaby shifts her weight from one foot to the other, her toes nothing but clumps of ice in her shoes.

“We should go back to the car.”

Illya’s gaze is still turned towards the clearing, when he shakes his head. Between his wool cap and the cloth he wrapped around his face, only his eyes are visible. They stand out against the dark fabric, the blue blending into their surroundings like sheets of ice, snowflakes caught in his lashes.

“The storm will catch us first.”

Solo’s shoulder brushes against hers as he steps out into the clearing. His clothes blend into the flurry with their patterns of grey and white, the cut sleeker than Gaby and Illya’s get-up. It worked well for them, when he sneaked into the compound and opened the door from within. Still, the flexibility came with the price of less layers between him and the cold. He has stopped shaking a while ago and Gaby knows this is a bad sign. And if she has noticed it, then Illya has too. It was one of the things Illya argued against, when they formed the plan, but had to concede for the lack of a better alternative. Gaby thinks this is one of the few times he doesn’t like being right.

Solo narrows his eyes against the sky. “Either way, staying here is not an option.” He glances back at Illya. “What does the expert suggest?”

Illya is silent for a few moments. “We need shelter and fast.” He turns to the side, gesturing to something Gaby can’t make out between the trees.

“It’s three hours to the car, but on the map there was a rock formation in this direction, maybe half an hour from here.”

Gaby shrugs. She doesn’t know how rocks might save them from freezing to death, but as Solo said, Illya is the expert here.

“Then let’s go.”

They fall silent again as they leave the clearing, Illya taking the lead, Gaby just trailing after them in their footsteps.

The wind picks up and Gaby can feel her shoulders tightening against it uselessly. Even if she sticks to the path Solo and Illya pave for her in the deep snow, she barely manages to lift her feet high enough. It looks a lot like just choosing how they freeze to death at this point. Maybe the cold already reached her head, because she cares less than she should. It would be ironic, if something mundane as a snow storm wiped them out after everything they survived so far.

Gaby’s foot catches on something. Or maybe it catches on nothing, but it still makes her stumble. Solo’s hand shoots out to her instantly, keeping her upright long enough for him to step in close enough to wrap an arm around her properly.

She can’t help but lean against him for a moment, seeking warmth but finding none. The difference between how Solo usually feels, all warmth and careful touches, and the cold roughness of his frosted over gear is too jarring.

There’s a fleeting smile in his eyes, the exhaustion too strong to spread any warmth. The little skin exposed to the air is red and frostbitten.

“Just a little longer.”

Gaby nods, although the only thing she can think is _And then what?_

She doesn’t know why, but she grabs Solo’s hand then. Her fingers are too stiff to work properly, but Solo meets her halfway, intertwining their fingers clumsily.

Illya watches them silently as they get back behind him, concern written deeply in the furrow between his eyes.

Solo keeps her hand in his as they walk on. She can’t feel her fingers, but it helps against the cold.

It feels like they walked longer than half an hour, when they find their destination. They don’t pause at the foot of what looks like a cliff, unable to even see to the top of it because of the snow. Gaby is not really impressed, but she keeps her mouth shut. Illya is still determinedly walking on, following the outline of the crude rocks, but she can feel Solo slowing down with her.

Illya is already a few steps ahead of them when he notices. There’s not even a moment of hesitation when he turns back and grabs Solo’s other hand, pulling them both along.

The snow is getting deeper by the minute, making her struggle for breath even through the cold. The freezing air stings in her throat.

She almost stumbles, when they suddenly stop. Gaby has to blink a few times clear the snow from her eyes, then to believe what’s in front of them.

A cave.

Maybe the cold already froze her brain, but there’s a cave in front of them. She can see Illya gesticulating to Solo, letting go of his hand. She doesn’t like it. When Illya disappears into the cave alone, she likes it even less, but she has no energy left to protest. She’s still staring at the spot where Illya just stood moments ago, when Solo steps in close. There’s no warmth in his embrace, but it helps against the wind, so she takes what she can get.

She doesn’t know how long Illya has been away, when she feels another hand on her shoulder, pulling them apart slowly.

“It’s safe, go.”

She lets herself get pulled along, her feet stuck to deep in the snow to move from her own accord.  

The inside is dark. She tries to pull out her flashlight, but her fingers won’t obey her. Fortunately Illya has his on already.

There’s a surreal moment, when Gaby realizes that the cave is not empty. A few feet inside there are a couple of metal trunks right next to a pile of firewood. Illya is the first to inspect them. He huffs once and gestures them to come over. “Seems like getting stuck in the snow is a common occurrence around here.”

The emblem embedded in the top of the trunks belongs to the organization they’ve just infiltrated. Illya opens them, his fingers clumsy with the cold. If Gaby could feel her face, she would have cried at the sight of the stack of folded blankets.

There is more in the other crates, some kind of tarp to lay on the ground for isolation, a bottle full of a combustive agents to kickstart a fire and some sort of construction to cover the entrance of the cave.

No words are needed for them to spring into action. Gaby grabs the tarp and the blankets to arrange them right next to where Solo builds a fire, a good few feet away from Illya, who closes off the entrance.

Only when the fire sparked to life, Gaby dares to pull down the scarf covering half of her face. Her breath still clouds in the cold air. With an unhappy sigh, she pulls off the top layer of her clothes, which will soon grow wet with the snow melting off them.

She lets herself sink down on the pile of blankets, looking up at her partners. The cloth over Solo’s face comes off and she’s not surprised to see that his lips are tinted blue. He doesn’t have that many clothes left on him after he shrugs off the top layer.

There are no words needed. Gaby shuffles a little to the side, making more room on the blankets. Illya is already standing behind Solo, his hand on his shoulder, guiding him down.

It’s a tight fit, especially after Illya joins them, but it’s not bad. Both Illya and Gaby are practically draped over Solo in their middle, combined with all the blankets they’ve found. Their hands wander aimlessly, trailing over cold skin and soft fabric.

They need to lay down when the shaking starts, but they don’t let any space come between them. Gaby’s head is lying on Solo’s chest, turned to the fire, Illya curled around their sides, his arms and legs thrown over them both.

Gaby knows they won’t talk about this the next day. If asked, they would say sharing warmth is basic survival technique. Just as sharing one room with one bed is just cost efficient, them sticking together even off-mission just a way to strengthen their teamwork. She doesn’t know how Illya would explain the small kisses he sneaks when he thinks they are asleep, with what excuse Solo would come up for running his hands over already perfectly arranged clothes and jewelry.

As Gaby’s eyes drift shut, she thinks that maybe it would be fun to hear those explanations and excuses. Maybe it would finally take them to where they were headed for months.

She feels Illya shift next to her, then lips against her hair. Solo’s thumb is drawing lazy circles on her shoulder.

She decides to feign sleep once again. She will let them get away with it. Just this last time.

(For as long as they want her to.)


End file.
